#88: Sparking joy, creating change, and challenging assumptions
A Q&A with Strategy Director and Citizen-in-training, Fiona O'Grady
Hello!
And a big welcome to all the new subscribers. Many of you have joined via Ettie Bailey-King’s Fighting Talk. I’m thrilled you’re here.
Some more seasoned subscribers might remember February’s Q&A with Jon Alexander, the activist and author of Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us. Jon’s life’s work revolves around community, creativity, and storytelling. In Citizens, Jon argues that the dominant ‘Consumer story’ has tricked us into believing we have no agency. But by telling ourselves a different story—’the Citizen story’—we can reclaim our agency and create lasting positive change.
This leads me to today’s Q&A guest, Fiona O’Grady.
Fiona is a strategy director who focuses on branding and communications. After 8 years of leading creative and marketing teams for major global fashion brands including Monki and H&M New Business, Fiona became increasingly concerned about the impact of her work on climate change. Today, Fiona works freelance and focuses more on sustainability, including volunteering for Creatives For Climate in Copenhagen. She also runs a karaoke club. (More on this later.)
Like Jon Alexander, Fiona has recognised the power of the stories we tell ourselves. She’s chosen the Citizen story and hasn’t looked back.
Let's start with Jon Alexander. Why do you think his ideas are so important? How have you reclaimed your agency?
Everything is tied to capitalism, growth, hard money metrics, and ego—even how we use our time. I believe those of us who are privileged should use less of our time for our gains. Instead, we should use that time to offer more grace and compassion. To be uncomfortable in the face of hard truths. To listen and learn from others. And to change the status quo. Jon shares this belief and, through Citizens, has lowered the barrier for us to act on it.
I volunteer at a local social community project—no tech, not big thinking, just time doing something. I'm also giving time to growing the global non-profit Creatives For Climate movement here in Copenhagen, together with the brilliant Maria Zuchslag for the past year. We're focused on pushing for local industry change. Creatives for Climate initiator Lucy von Sturmer constantly inspires me with how much time she gives to driving change. She creates the space for people in positions of power to come together. I hope it creates a new kind of accountability.
Look, I get how this might sound. I'm a white, middle-class, cis, non-disabled woman—all this can come across as a bit ‘humble brag’. But to Jon Alexander's point, the media has no interest in sharing stories of positive, grassroots change. We've got to tell each other that this is what we're doing.
You also run a community karaoke project in your spare. Can you tell us about it and what it means to you?
The project is called Not A Lead Singer. Some folks have described it as' group therapy but with karaoke.' The whole thing has grown and connects with people in a beautiful, loud, and messy way. It's made me understand the importance of collective joy to spark action. As cheesy as it sounds, seeing former karaoke sceptics becoming fans is an amazing feeling. Each karaoke night cultivates joy in a non-judgemental, non-conventional way. Don't we all need a bit more of that in our lives?
Running Not A Lead Singer has had a huge influence on my work. The creative industry can be too perfect, making it dull and inaccessible. We need to create more spaces that celebrate the chaos—that's how many great ideas and solutions come together.
Let's stay on the work thread for a minute. One of your superpowers is translating human behaviour and consumer trends into creative ideas. Your early career was in fashion, and you're increasingly focused on helping brands be a force for good. Where are brands getting it wrong?
I'll use sustainability as a lens for answering this question, as brands are increasingly focused on understanding what consumers think about this topic and are often getting it wrong. The reason why brands get it wrong is that they fail to recognize the privilege of (a) working with sustainability and (b) being sustainable.
Take the eco-conscious shopper. It's an aspirational ideal utterly unrepresentative of how most people around the world can behave. Most people, even if they want to do good, will take the more socially accepted, easier, and cheaper option.
Those of us working with commercial sustainability in the Global North must learn to question our assumptions constantly—and understand the consequences of living in a world where our dominant narratives about sustainability are built on colonial roots.
How can the tech and non-profit sectors come closer together?
The tech sector has the skills and resources to create safe, decentralised spaces at scale. The non-profit sector knows how to get things mobilised. Perhaps I'm being naive, but wouldn't this be a mighty combination for sparking global positive change?
Which three books or other media have impacted you most and why?
Building on the earlier point about understanding human behaviour, I believe you can learn a lot about different people—their problems, moral codes, and drivers—by watching reality TV. Love Island, Love is Blind; you name it, I consume it. (But with a generous pinch of salty scepticism regarding the ethics of the production.) I think a lot about Love Island's "pre-loved" partnership with Ebay: it's a beautiful example of changing behaviours on people's terms.
When I’m not binge-watching reality TV, I sometimes read. These are two of my favourites:
Lean Out by Dawn Foster has had a lasting impact on my brain, giving me an understanding of my own privilege and role within industrial and systemic structures.
Citizens by Jon Alexander for obvious reasons. (I also recommend your interview with him.) f#!K the Consumer story; we need the Citizen story.
More questions for Fiona? Find her on LinkedIn or drop an email to hiya@fionaogrady.com. And if you’re ever in Copenhagen, don’t forget to see about the karaoke.
Thanks so much for reading,
Lauren